West Bridgewater woman and sister launch accessory business

Relative Threads – owned by sisters Staci Butler Bailey of West Bridgewater and Lisa Butler Pelaggi of Franklin – provides fun fashion accessories for men, women, kids, babies and even pets, that coordinate together, or stand out on their own for family photos, weddings, reunions and other occasions.

A new local business wants to answer the question of “What to wear?” for family photos, weddings, or any special occasion.

Relative Threads – owned by sisters Staci Butler Bailey of West Bridgewater and Lisa Butler Pelaggi of Franklin – provides fun fashion accessories for men, women, kids, babies and even pets, that coordinate together, or stand out on their own.

Bailey and Pelaggi launched Relative Threads as an online business two months ago, and the word is spreading to boutiques near Boston and on Cape Cod.

“Like many businesses, ours began with a solution to overcome a frustration,” said Pelaggi, “because Staci had a challenge in trying to find matching ties for her husband and son for a family portrait, and after working way too hard to find a less-than-perfect result, we knew there was an idea there.”

The sisters chatted with friends who had similar challenges coordinating outfits for family photos. They took their marketing and sales backgrounds to the drawing board.

“While we set out to launch online only for spring, we garnered interest from some local boutiques and let the momentum take us from there,” said Pelaggi.

In just five weeks, Relative Threads was offered in 11 boutiques throughout Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

“The most rewarding part of Relative Threads is seeing it evolve from an idea to a brand,” said Bailey, adding their product line also is catching the interest of bridal parties, corporate outings and reunions of all kinds.

“You pull something from your closet and accessorize,” said Bailey.

“We have intentionally positioned our accessories to be stylish, but affordable,” said Pelaggi, where no items retail for more than $50.

“Our primary audience is moms of young families because they’re the one with blood, sweat and tears coordinating family photos at the beach or during holidays,” said Pelaggi.

The past year has been a whirlwind of trade shows, fabric selection, focus groups and trend reviews for the sisters, who are excited to own their own business.

“The best part is the ability to have an idea and run with it,” said Pelaggi.